Today's generation of the Acrea family bears a name that was brought to England by the migration wave that was started by the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Acrea family lived in the county of Cumberland. This surname was a local name meaning the dweller at the acre, or the dweller at the plot of arable land.

Early Origins of the Acrea family

The surname Acrea was first found in the county of Cumberland, where they were descended from one of two noble houses, the Lords D'Acre, called D'Acres of the North, and Lord D'Acre of Herstmonceux, called D'Acres of the South. Both of these noble branches originally settled at Dacre in Cumberland.

Early History of the Acrea family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Acrea research.Another 235 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1282, 1379, 1346, 1614, 1692, 1660, 1661, 1619 and 1700 are included under the topic Early Acrea History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Acrea Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Acrea were recorded, including Acre, Acres, Aker, Eaker, Eakers, Aiker, Aikers, Aikerson, Aker, Akers, Acker, Ackers, Ackhurst and many more.

Early Notables of the Acrea family (pre 1700)

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Anthony Aucher, 1st Baronet (1614-1692), an English politician from Bishopsbourne, Kent, Member of Parliament for Canterbury (1660-1661), a... Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Acrea Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Acrea family to the New World and Oceana

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Acrea arrived in North America very early:

Acrea Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Georg Acrea, who landed in Virginia in 1653 [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)

Citations

^ Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)